South Italy, Locri (?), Greek / 460–450 BCE
Mirror Support: Athlete
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Mirror Support: Athlete as sculpture (South Italy, Locri (?), Greek · 460–450 BCE).
Most Greek mirror stands depict female figures, but this one depicts a male.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze.
The museum's collection notes: A muscular nude youth strides forward on a square metal plate with his arms outstretched. The plate and the volute decoration that adorns his head suggest that this statuette was the support for a mirror. The youth is likely an athlete, as he holds an alabastron or oil vessel in his right hand. The oil may be an offering to the gods for victory, or to rub onto the skin to protect and beautify his body before an athletic contest. The mirror was made separately and would have been attached to the triangular tang above the athlete’s head.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMirror Support: AthleteOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.